Preparing Engineers to Address Global Challenges

Engineering is about more than technology it is about the creative application of science to solve problems for people. Engineers build capabilities, communities, and countries. Engineering is everywhere. It is fundamental to society. The problem is that engineering too often pursues technology for technologys sake. Engineers are good at things. Engineers need to be good at people too. They must understand context, embrace complexity and act as mediators between people and technology. EWB is working towards the goal of a transformed engineering sector so that every engineer has the skills, knowledge, experience, and attitude needed to contribute towards sustainable human development.

The EWB Challenge

The Engineers Without Borders Challenge is a design programme for first and second year university undergraduates. It seeks to improve the ability of engineering students to address global challenges by providing them with real-life engineering design projects identified by EWBs community partners. Their designs contribute towards the sustainable development of disadvantaged communities in developing countries and give them the opportunity to develop teamwork, communication, and design skills.

Accreditation

Benefits

The Challenge is designed to provide students with the professional and technical skills that they will use throughout their future careers. An international context for their design problem increases students capacity to work effectively across cultural, economic, and geographical boundaries, preparing them for increasingly internationalized careers.
I thought that the EWB Challenge was extremely beneficial in terms of gaining team working skills. It helped me to understand the design process; the need for sustainable, environmentally friendly designs; and...helped me to understand how engineers need to fully understand the environment that they are working in to create a truly appropriate and useful solution. - Participating Student 11\ 12

The EWB Challenge has clear links to the Engineering Councils learning outcomes for accredited degree programmes, helping your institution deliver some or all of the General and Specific Learning Outcomes.
We are very proud of what has been achieved by our students. EWB Challenge is a student competition based on the sort of real life problems faced by communities throughout the world, and therefore we believe that their success reflects the sound preparation for the challenges of the 21st century we are giving our students. Their triumph motivates us to continue promoting humanitarian engineering as a core characteristic of our courses - Academic Tutor to 2011-2012 Winning Group

About EWB-UK
Engineers Without Borders UK is an organization that creates massive small change by empowering thousands of engineers to remove barriers to development. We deliver placements, research, training, school outreach and festivals. We support innovation and avoid grants. We are a membership organisation, an education organisation, an international development organisation, a volunteer organisation and a student-led charity.

The EWB Challenge is made possible in the UK through generous support from the Anglo-American Group Foundation. The EWB Challenge is an international program, founded and managed by EWB Australia. It is delivered in the UK and Ireland by EWB-UK.

Vision

A world where everyone has access to the engineering they need for a life free from poverty.

For more information, please visit: www.ewb-uk.org/ewbchallenge Or contact: challenge@ewb-uk.org Engineers Without Borders UK c/o The Humanitarian Centre Fenners Gresham Road Cambridge CB1 2ES United Kingdom P: +44 (0)1223 305 888 T: @ewbuk_challenge

Mission

To empower human development through engineering.

A design project for first and second year university undergraduates that seeks to provide an introduction to the skills that are required in order to address global challenges